Sustainable business travel ‘no longer optional’ – BT4Europe

European business travel association network BT4Europe has called for sustainability to become “as measurable as price”, as the sector looks to step up its efforts to decarbonise.

BT4Europe has published its Transition Pathway for Sustainable Business Travel document in Brussels on Monday (21 October), which says that sustainable corporate travel is “no longer optional” and is “essential for the future of both businesses and the planet “.

The report provides a range of “actionable strategies and key focus areas” and has been put together in response to the European Commission’s Transition Pathway for Tourism, which was launched in July.

Angela Lille, who chairs BT4Europe’s Sustainability Working Group, stressed the need for “cross-industry collaboration” on improving sustainability within corporate travel.

“Sharing resources and knowledge across sectors fosters solutions that reduce environmental impact while maintaining business efficiency,” explained Lille. “It is essential that sustainability becomes as measurable as price in the travel sector.”

Lille said that transparency on CO2 emissions from business travel needed to be “embedded at the point of sale and on every invoice” as a key part of this process.

“This practice will encourage competition to reduce carbon footprints and promote eco-friendly practices within the industry,” she added.

The latest publication is part of BT4Europe’s wider Climate Action Plan, which aims to support the transition to more sustainable travel by encouraging industry-wide cooperation and carrying out analysis to identify “the most impactful areas for change”.

“The transition to greener practices opens up opportunities for advancements like electric vehicles, renewable energy integration, multi-modal transportation and smarter travel management systems – all key to reshaping the future of corporate travel,” explained Lille.

“Through materiality analysis and a comprehensive implementation framework, businesses can prioritise the areas of greatest impact and foster a culture that supports sustainability at all levels.”

As part of the launch of the new document in Brussels, BT4Europe is also holding meetings with the European Commission as well as representatives of Europe’s leading airlines and rail operators.

The report looks at how to design sustainable travel products and services, and the technology integration needed to offer key features, such as carbon tracking and reporting, analytics, sustainable travel options, policy compliance and traveller support.

BT4Europe also addresses how to “align” travel policies with organisations’ wider corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives, as well as policy development and implementation.

The report adds that engaging employees in sustainability initiatives will be vital in “fostering a culture of environmental responsibility and encouraging participation in sustainable travel practices”.

Suggestions on how to encourage employees to travel more sustainably include promoting flexible working practices and offering financial incentives or other benefits for using “greener” options such as public transport, carpooling, electric vehicle rentals or cycling.

For more on the issue of sustainability within corporate travel, read BTN Europe’s new report, Navigating towards net zero.